


Science Bros Birthday Drabble

by xxx_cat_xxx



Series: Whumping Tony Stark [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Birthday, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Friendship, Gen, Science Bros, Sick Tony, Sick Tony Stark, carbon monoxide poisoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 11:59:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16681225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxx_cat_xxx/pseuds/xxx_cat_xxx
Summary: Tony tries to throw a surprise party for Bruce, and things go amiss. Birthday Fic for taylor_tut.





	Science Bros Birthday Drabble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taylor_tut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/gifts).



Tony knew better than to argue with a guy who might turn into an enormous green rage monster any given minute, at least when he and said guy were stuck in a very tiny elevator on the way to medbay. Since getting Bruce more upset wasn’t exactly an option if Tony didn’t want to end up pulverized, he took to demonstratively squeezing his lips shut and trying not to shiver against the cool elevator wall.

Arguably, he was still having problems seeing straight and not coughing while breathing, so it wasn’t exactly a hard choice to keep his mouth closed. Tony´s sense of temperature was shot. Why was the AC still working when the elevator itself wasn’t? Bruce, in the meantime, was arranging their rescue via the intercom.

“I just don’t get it,” Bruce turned to him when he was done talking to whoever was on the other side of the line to rescue them, “why did you disable the fire alarm? It was pure coincidence I came by the lab and found you. You nearly suffocated, Tony. You could have _died_!”

Tony tried to answer, but a breath caught in his throat and made him cough so hard that he started to see black spots dance in front of his vision. That was definitely not good for his already upset sense of balance. Bruce, despite his anger, stabilized him and patted his back with a worried expression on his face.

“I didn’t exactly _plan_ on falling asleep in there,” Tony rasped when he could breathe and see again. “And how to test the custom-made fireworks for tonight’s party if the fire alarms go off every two minutes?”

Something about his reply felt very wrong. But Tony´s brain was still desperately deprived of oxygen and his thoughts correspondingly muzzy. He replayed the conversation in his head - and then he realized that he had fucked up, the same moment in which Bruce pulled his brows together in a frown.

“Which party?” he asked, his tone slightly ominous.

_Oh, shit._ Tony let himself slide down the wall, partly because it was getting increasingly hard to stay upright through the dizziness, partly because maybe stimulating Bruce´s doctoral instincts would stop him from asking any further.

Negative.

“Tony, which party?” he asked, a bit louder this time. Tony could see a vein on the side of the other man´s neck turning the slighest shade of mint green.

“Okay, okay, if I tell you that I might have asked Jarvis to go through your personal files and find out your DoB, and might have invited a tiny number of people tonight in order to honour the occasion, please don’t turn green on me.”

There was a beat of silence. Tony didn’t look at Bruce, focusing instead on his trembling hands that were embarrassingly hard to keep still. After a minute had passed, he carefully lifted his head. There were so many layers of conflicting feelings on his teammate´s face that Tony nearly broke into a grin.

Bruce swallowed. “I, ehmm… I’m not a fan of parties.“

Tony let out a sigh of relief.

“I know, buddy.” He tried to reassuringly pat Bruce´s shoulder and missed by a couple of inches. “Don’t worry, it´s more like a quiet get-together. Gonna be nothing like my last birthday.”

“As if you remember that.”

“Point taken. Still,” Tony drew in a breath, trying not to cough again, and focused on the other man´s eyes through his wavering vision. “Happy Birthday, man.“

Bruce swallowed again, and for a second Tony thought he saw his eyes glistening wet. But then, it might just as well have been an illusion. He didn´t exactly trust his senses in his current state.

“Thank you.” Bruce finally said, offering a tiny smile. “But let´s focus on getting out of here first. You need to get checked out. And I´m not very fond of small spaces.”

“Agreed. To the latter part, that is.” Tony said, leaning his head against the wall and rubbing his still burning eyes.

“And, ehm, Tony? One request. No fireworks tonight.”


End file.
